This morning it was up bright and early for the medical exams. Getting this motley crew out the door in a hurry first thing is somewhat challenging, but we were out the door and headed to breakfast by 7:30 AM. And so was the rest of the hotel. But as is become the standard of our prayer cover trip to date, as we stood at the end of a VERY long line for the breakfast buffet, a lady came up to us and told us she would take us to the restaurant at the top of the hotel. And, once we got there, we were given our own private room! We could get used to this type of spoiled!
There were five families traveling to the medical clinic this morning, several with multiple children, so we had a tour bus! Our guide, Lucia, gave us our last minute instructions before we got off the bus.
Then it was a quick set of passport photos and up to the clinic. So that we could wait!
Because our U.S. Consulate appointment is on Monday, along with two other families, we had to go first and get the kids blood drawn for a TB test. They had to be completed by 10AM so that they would get to the lab on time. Although Charlie was a little concerned about the needle aspect of the morning, all three came out with smiles on their faces.
After that, it was time for an ENT exam …
… a height and weight check …
… a vision check …
(SO glad we bought Katelyn those glasses!)
… and a general health exam.
Ali, in typical Ali fashion, helped keep some of the little kids occupied. She also got some assistance from Katelyn.
And Katelyn also helped keep Caleb under wraps, since it was a somewhat boring morning for him!
Some took the exams with great exuberance!
And some took the exam when they didn’t need to.
This next picture is funny to me because if you look back at the last adoption blog , you will see this exact same picture. Ali, sitting at the nurses station, talking to them about her family at home. She is always so proud of her family and loves to talk about them to anyone who will listen. And these two nurses seemed willing to listen!
Both Katelyn and Ashley had to have shots because they are over eleven. Charlie side-stepped this part of the morning, but only barely! A few more months and we would be getting these also. All three of the girls went in together to provide moral support (the fourth head of black hair is the guide!).
Once done, we went to Canton Tower, a huge 600 meter TV tower in the heart of one of the fastest growing areas of Guangzhou. This is a beautiful structure that is lite up in multicolor every evening. I have pictures posted on Ali’s adoption blog from the boat cruise we took at night. We are taking a similar cruise tomorrow night so I will post pictures then. But it is really quiet breath taking.
Several of the families went up to the observation deck of the tower, but it was a crazy amount of money for our family just for a few minutes of view, so we opted instead to go over and take a walk on the Pear River (the third longest river in China, in case you cared).
We found some nice shade under a tree in the growing heat and took a few shots.
You just can’t get enough all boy shots!
And I didn’t feel like I had a picture with Katelyn in awhile, so I asked her to sit with me. I don’t think she was feeling that good after her shots at this point, but she was still a trooper.
We met a young couple from Montana who adopted a six-year old son. This is their first visit to China and we mentioned a restaurant that we liked so they tagged along.
They had been managing this little guy without other kids for him to play with, so spending time with us, and more importantly Ali, gave him a nice chance to do something different for a few hours.
We all took a walk up to a park that we frequented the last time we were here.
This is Charlie explaining to Kelly that he needs TWO pieces of toilet paper before using the facilities.
And here is Charlie washing his hands in the lovely outdoor facilities! It actually wasn’t too bad, although the bathroom itself didn’t smell very appealing.
We let the kids run around the park for awhile.
Charlie and Caleb, never one to miss a picture opportunity, posed for a quick shot.
Caleb and Katelyn played chicken. Ashely had already lost!
And again the brothers wanted another picture taken.
On our way out, Caleb asked me if this was a large Bible. How cute, son. But no.
Since it was well over 25 degrees Celsius today, we had to adhere to the Charlie Hypothesis and stop for ice cream.
Later our two families got together in our palatial suite and had pizza together. It was a nice ending to a really good day.
Tomorrow is a free day, which means walking and going to a park somewhere. And then tomorrow night we have the river boat cruise. I am hoping to give you a quick tour of our accommodations tomorrow so stay tuned.
Have a great day while we sleep!
Cameron